The Patron Saint of Second Chances

Trade Paperback

The self-appointed mayor of a tiny Italian village is determined to save his hometown no matter the cost in this charming farce that highlights the triumph of hope and community (People).

Vacuum repairman and self-appointed mayor of Prometto, Italy (population 212) Signor Speranza has a problem: unless he can come up with 70,000 euros to fix the towns pipes, the water commission will shut off the water to the village and all the residents will be forced to disperse. In a desperate bid to boost tourismand revenuehe spreads a harmless rumor that movie star Dante Rinaldi will be filming his next project nearby.

Unfortunately, the plan works a little too well, and soon everyone wants to be a part of the fictional filmthe village butcher will throw in some money if Speranza can find roles for his fifteen enormous sons, Speranzas wistfully adrift daughter reveals an unexpected interest in stage makeup, and his hapless assistant Smilzo volunteers a screenplay thats not so secretly based on his undying love for the films leading lady. To his surpriseand considerable consternation, Speranza realizes that the only way to keep up the ruse is to make the movie for real.

As the entire town becomes involved (even the village priest invests!), Signor Speranza starts to think he might be able to pull this off. But what happens when Dante Rinaldi doesnt show up? Or worse, what if he does?

A warmhearted, original gem of a novel (Amy Poeppel, author of Musical Chairs), The Patron Saint of Second Chances is perfect for fans of Fredrik Backman and Maria Semple.